Original British Early 18th Century Naval Hand Carved Scrimshaw Powder Horn with Belt Hook - Engraved with “Man ‘O War” Ship Rio - Circa 1710
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Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. This is a tremendous piece of British Naval history. This powder horn has been scrimshawed and heavily decorated with floral patterns of flowers, leaves, and three sets of eyes, the back depicting a gorgeous motif of a Man ‘O War vessel flying the British flag. Below the ship is engraved SHIP RIO. There is no ship of this name listed among the ships of the line, so we are unsure what exactly this is referring to. There are mentions of ship being taken from Rio de Janeiro but we aren’t sure if this is connected. The horn is of very intricate construction for the period, with iron plates on the top and bottom and a gorgeous belt hook.
The powder horn measures roughly 9½ x 3½ x 2¼”. The screws holding the piece together are very crudely made and have a glorious patina. There are some scuffs and nicks in the horn, with four small red-colored holes in the ship side. The opposite side has a very interesting depiction of what we know today as the “Iron Cross”. The spout is still fully intact and has a great shape, and miraculously, the lever to release the powder is still in working condition! The only major conditional flaw is a crack leading from the belt hook to the plate on top, but this shows no signs of structural damage.
This is a gorgeous piece of Scrimshaw hand-carved roughly 315 years ago. For its age, the condition is unmatched and near perfect. This will surely become a centerpiece in any early firearm collection. Comes ready for further research and display!
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